U.S. Pat. No. 5,526,846 discloses a bend stiffener comprising an elastic member made of elastomer which surrounds a elongate body to be stiffened, the elastic member being integrally attached to one end of a housing support. It comprises, inside the elastic material, a reinforcement member extending over a portion of the length of the elastic member from one end, the reinforcement being integrally attached by means for fastening to said housing support.
The specific reinforcement members disclosed in ‘846’ are:                A toroid ring held axially by a plurality of tie rods, parallel to the axis of the pipe and uniformly distributed over the circumference        Two concentric sheets of interwoven yarns or ribbons        A thin cylindrical sleeve        A loose grid forming a cylindrical crown ring (arranged as helices)        
There is a need for an improved bend stiffener having superior properties.